Lola ya Bonobo Sanctuary

Claudine Andre is a pioneer in the rescue, care and re-introduction of Bonobos to the wild. Claudine and her team operate the only sanctuary for Bonobos in the world, in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Founded in 1994, Lola Ya Bonobo means “Paradise for Bonobos”, and it currently is home to 72 orphaned bonobos! Each of the bonobos was rescued and brought to the sanctuary, where he or she is given a new ‘maman’ to love and raise them. Eventually, the orphan is old enough to be introduced to one of the bonobo social groups at the sanctuary. The ultimate aim is that some of these bonobos can be re-introduced back into the wild to live the life intended for them.

Claudine and her team re-introduced a group of bonobos back into the wild in this way for the first time in 2009. Please find out more information from our sister page run from the USA which is regularly updated- please click here.